Vacation

I'll be out of the state the next two weeks and unable to post announcements of upcoming openings.

Two openings at Artspace on Thursday, one at 4 p.m., one at 6 p.m.

Artspace
50 Orange St, New Haven, (203) 772-2709
City-Wide Open Studios Index II
July 30—Aug. 29, 2009
Opening reception: Thurs., July 30, 6—8 p.m.
Babel Collections
Opening reception: Thurs., July 30, 4 p.m.

Press release

Artspace is pleased to announce two exhibition openings on Thurs., July 30, 2009. One is the opening of Index II, our second unjuried members exhibition for CWOS, at Artspace from 6—8 p.m. For the past twelve years, Artspace has supported local Connecticut artists by promoting artistic discourse within the greater community and hosting new events and forums during CWOS. Index II will feature approximately one hundred and twenty artists from a pool of two hundred and forty promising and inventive artists; it will be on view through Aug. 29, 2009.

The second opening on July 30, 2009 will be held at 4 p.m. in The Lot to celebrate Babel Collections, an installation created by Brooklyn-based sculptor Carolyn Salas in collaboration with the Artspace public high school Summer Apprentices. The Lot is the pocket park and transit stop in downtown New Haven located at Chapel and Orange Streets. Salas and the students will create a series of totem pole-lik structures of varying height made from recycled materials found in the New Haven area. Situated in the center of the large gravel area in The Lot, these vibrant yet curious structures challenge the traditional meanings, such as community status, ritual worship, or memorialization, long associated with public art or civic monuments.

Babel Collections is emblematic of Salas' approach to art-making, one that combines her keen observations made throughout her day-to-day experiences with a deep passion for examining history and its often linear and marginalizing narratives. She explains, "I am specifically drawn to the idea of structures that tell stories, embody legends, and freeze historical moments where metaphor and meaning are central elements."

During her time with the students, Salas plans to encourage them to question the traditional narratives behind public art, and to think deeply about their impact on the environment and how their art can initiate positive change in their communities. The students will also visit local art studios and museums during their apprenticeship to gain a better understanding of the vibrant artistic life in New Haven. Installation of Babel Collections will take place on the 29th and 30th of July. Community members will be invited to help put the finishing touches on the works and then join Artspace for the official opening of the exhibit at 4 p.m. on the 30th.

Sunday opening of juried Student Exhibition at Silvermine Guild Art Center

Silvermine Guild Art Center
1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan, (203) 966-9700
19th Annual Juried Student Exhibition
July 26—Aug. 23, 2009
Opening reception & awards ceremony: Sun., July 26, 2009, 2—4 p.m.

Press release

The 19th Annual Juried Student Exhibition at Silvermine Galleries returns July 26 through August 23, 2009. The Student Exhibition showcases the artistic achievements of the Silvermine School of Art students of all ages, from youth to adult. This event provides students the opportunity to share their accomplishments with one another and offers the general public a view of the fine art and creative energy that is generated by the student body. One of the most anticipated and popular shows of the year, this exhibition includes prizes in the adult category as well as youth categories for student's ages 5 to 10 and 11 to 17. All are welcome to the opening reception and awards ceremony to be held on Sunday, July 26 from 2—4 p.m. (See image of 2008 Best in Show Student Exhibition prize winner.)

Entry to the juried exhibition is open to all Silvermine School of Art students who have completed an instruction course or Art Camp since January of 2007. Media submitted ranges from painting, to drawing, ceramics, collage, digital imaging, jewelry, mixed media, photography, printmaking, sculpture and silversmithing.

Professor Jon Walker, Chair, Department of Art & Design, Sacred Heart University will be the juror for this year's special exhibition/competition. Professor Walker joined the faculty at Sacred Heart University after spending twelve years as a professional graphic designer for a national sports magazine and was a freelance designer in web site and multimedia design, as well as continuing work as a print designer. Specializing in editorial design for print, web, and multimedia, Professor Walker is a working professional designer in addition to being a full-time teacher, and is the creator of A&D, a new completely digital magazine devoted to teaching design in the liberal arts undergraduate environment.

The Silvermine School of Art is an award winning non-profit organization that fosters, promotes, and encourages artistic and educational endeavors. Courses and workshops are available throughout the year and are designed for full and part-time students of all ages and levels, from beginners to professional artists. In addition to the adult program, the school features courses for junior and youth, Summer Art Camp, and classes for young children and parents to experience art together. Many of the faculty members of the School are Silvermine Guild Artist members, and former as well as current students have also been elected to membership to the Guild.

Sunday afternoon artist reception for William Kent show at Kehler Liddell Gallery

Kehler Liddell Gallery
873 Whalley Ave., New Haven, (203) 389-9555
Relevant Irreverence: Prints and Sculpture of William Kent
Through Aug. 23, 2009
Artist Reception: Sun., July 19, 3-6 p.m.

Press release

Kehler Liddell Gallery is thoroughly excited to exhibit the remarkable artwork of William (Bill) Kent. This exhibit represents over 40 years of work, much of it not shown since the late 60's. It is a challenge and responsibility to create a showcase for this lifetime body of work at Kehler Liddell.

Kent's slate prints (hand-carved slate printed on a range of fabrics) are very much the voice of Bill Kent: personal, political, erotic, and humorous. Created approximately 1963 - 1978 and still being printed in a changing monographic range, the work is notably relevant today. It is a chronicle of mid to late 20th Century politics and culture with reference to classical, Victorian and puritan art motifs. It remains thoughtful and certainly provocative in the arenas of politics and popular culture 2009. Kehler Liddell looks forward to a lively response from visitors and collectors.

Kent's sculptures are a master class in woodcarving and form, making banal objects elegant, satirical, and uniquely his own. The sculptures on view at KLG are humorous and visionary: recognizably shell beans, over sized utensils and vegetables, a naked chicken or shoehorn. They become abstract form. At other times, they are a wry metaphorical self-portrait of the artist.

William Kent's art - both print and sculpture - is unquestionably museum quality, highly collectible, and historically significant. Whether he is labeled a Connecticut or American artist, outsider or folk, visionary or iconoclast, this man is one for the history books of American Art. Kehler Liddell Gallery is honored to present: Relevant Irreverence.

There will be an artist's reception this Sunday, July 19, from 3-6 p.m.

Kaczmarek installation opens Thursday at Real Art Ways

Real Art Ways
56 Arbor St., Hartford, (860) 232-1006
Chris Kaczmarek
July 16—Sept. 13, 2009.
Opening Thurs., July 16, 6—8 p.m. during Creative Cocktail Hour

Press release

Real Art Ways opens an installation by Chris Kaczmarek. Kaczmarek juxtaposes the separate worlds of war and everyday life in America using images from security cameras installed throughout Real Art Ways. The exhibition's opening reception is on Thurs., July 16, 6—8 p.m., during Creative Cocktail Hour. Admission to the opening is $10/$5 for Real Art Ways' members. After July 16, admission to the gallery is free for members and cinema patrons, and is otherwise a $3 suggested donation.

Kaczmarek's installation will juxtapose live images of people and spaces in Real Art Ways with images from cameras taping military figurines placed discreetly throughout the space. The installation explores themes of surveillance and media representation while encouraging a heightened awareness of the viewer's environment, both immediate and globally. Ten television sets perched above the Real Art Ways cinema entrance will display the camera feeds.

Chris Kaczmarek explains his intent:

We are experiencing a mediated war right now (we see our soldiers on TV) that is not being fought in our country...by placing the icon of the soldier in the mediated view of the viewer, I am juxtaposing the separate worlds, and then by also introducing the solider figure itself into the space itself so that they're not easily noticed, I am paralleling the reality that exists for most of those without family members in the military.

Chris Kaczmarek's work incorporates both traditional and experimental practices using a broad variety of media. He creates interactive, site-specific installations that are designed to guide the viewer towards a deeper contemplation about the environment they inhabit. Other works include performance, sound scores for the stage, multi-channel video and handmade electronic instruments.

"Hang-ups" opens Thursday at Sumner McKnight Crosby, Jr. Gallery

Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery
70 Audubon St., 2nd floor, New Haven, (203) 772-2788
Hang-ups
July 16—Sept. 11, 2009
Artists' reception: Thurs., July 16, 5—7 p.m.

Press release

The Arts Council of Greater New Haven presents Hang-ups, the organization's sixth annual members show, in the Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery, 70 Audubon St., 2nd floor, New Haven. This exhibition of works in a variety of media (image by Pam Neri) will be on display from Fri., July 17 through Fri., Sept. 11, 2009. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. An artists' reception is scheduled for Thurs., July 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

Saturday night opening at the Hygienic

Hygienic Art
83 Bank St., P.O. Box 417, New London, (860) 443-8001
Poliz: Pola Ester & Susan Madacsi
July 4—Aug. 1, 2009
Opening reception: Sat., July 4, 7—10 p.m.

Press release

Poliz is a Polish word that loosely translates as something to try or to sample for the first time. The show features local New London photographer Pola Ester and Hygienic resident artist Susan Madacsi. Ester immigrated to the US from Poland where she had an interest in the theater arts. Since moving to the states she has focused on documentary and fashion photography. Ester will be showing a series of new photographs that feature a number of New London characters and artists who volunteered their time to model. Her photos are inspired by her interests in fashion and theater. The images are modern, provocative and edgy with an emphasis on color and composition. Madacsi will be showing non-functional sculptural objects forged in steel along with water based paintings and drawings. Her work also focuses on color and composition.

Susan Madacsi:

I work with steel in the traditional forging manor of a blacksmith. When steel is heated to forging temperatures around 2200 degrees it can be manipulated in the same ways as clay. In this new body of work, I have been exploring and pushing the plasticity of the material. Large thick bars are forged and cut into many smaller manageable pieces and re-assembled into forms. The vessels' surfaces are then treated as if a palette. I apply enamel paint and use a variety of techniques to distress the surface. The result is an interpretation of a contemporary form that suggests architecture, stone, and an attempt to capture entropy. By using pigment I have found that I am able to emphasize the many textures that evolve from forging. Although steel is usually first thought of as an industrial material, I like to draw attention to our connection with it on a human level, by creating objects that reveal organic forms.

There will be an opening reception for this show on Sat. evening, July 4, from 7—10 p.m.

Opening this evening at eo art lab in Chester

eo art lab
69 Main Street, Chester, (860) 526-4833
Janet Lage: Hose Me
July 1—Aug. 2, 2009
Opening reception: Fri., July 3, 6—9 p.m.

Press release

Janet Lage’s work takes its form as she experiences the world within the gap between seeing and knowing. Lage has developed a vocabulary of marks, materials, textures, and colors that are symbolic expressions of the residue of life. She sees the paint as a living thing with inclinations of its own and she opens herself up to collaborate with it. Calligraphic lines and irregular edges are born from the rawness of nature and contemporary culture. Drawing inspiration from life’s curious daily events and scenes, she synchronizes the intertwined existence of order and disorder. Her work positions itself loosely between representation and abstraction in search of this expression.

Lage absorbs her surroundings and takes nothing for granted. She finds worth and meaning in the mundane as well as the exotic. Her work expresses the parallel realities of life’s scenes and events. In this way, her work is affirming and positive, giving weight to the seemingly insignificant as well as the momentous, providing a model for our travels.

Hose Me, an exhibition of Lage's paintings, will open this evening at eo art lab from 6—9 p.m.